A’s can’t consistently find winning formula, miss playoffs
By JANIE McCAULEY
AP Baseball Writer
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Athletics thought they could get back to the postseason for a fourth straight year even after numerous devastating injuries and center fielder Ramón Laureano’s suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. But they stumbled in September and had a frustrating finish that remains perplexing to everybody involved. The Athletics used to be the team that rallied to win late but this season watched their opponents regularly do that very thing. The A’s shocking 0-7 record against 90-win Seattle over the final 13 games took them out of contention in the wild-card race.